Pride of Universe 11
by Teira-Nova
Summary: The story of Jiren the Gray. From small beginnings to tragic events which shaped this man into a form of absolute strength; bound by his past, refusing to connect with anybody. However, things change after he takes part in the Tournament of Power and he begins a new path to becoming stronger - not just physically, but emotionally as well.
1. Chapter 1

Dragon Ball Super  
 **The Pride of Universe 11**

 _Written by Teira Nova_

 _Starring…  
_ Jiren  
Toppo  
Dyspo  
Android 21  
Belmod  
And more...

 **Chapter one - Small beginnings** _  
_

 _Age 739  
Planet Cal'or_

The day was calm and the air was warm as the sun shone down upon the canyons of Cal'or. Distant sounds of avian creatures chattered about in panic all whilst the noise of shattering stones and rubble was heard in a nearby clearing of the surrounding landscape. A few trees and boulders scattered the area where two figures stood together, posed in sync with one another.

Both beings were humanoid, wearing rugged, primitive robes made of natural fibres. They had grey coloured skin, with a slight tinge of purple hues. Their eyes were large and dark, with enlarged pupils and dark grey irises. Both were bald, seeing as their kind didn't have any body hair. Their kind was known as the _greys_. They were known to inhabit Cal'or and the nearby planet Khoraha.  
The taller of the pair was an adult male who had a slim athletic build and muscular forearms. The second of the greys however was scrawny and barely reached the taller's thighs. His limbs were minuscule and he had a disproportionately large head and even bigger eyes. He was rather young, likely to be around the age of four. The duo were quite clearly father and son.

The much taller being raised his hand as the youngling at his side watched him with curiosity,

"Now… focus your inner ki, and take aim at that rock ahead of you." The older male said, pointing towards the stone sat on top of the much larger boulder ahead of them.

The youngling nodded before raising his hand to begin focusing the inner heat from within. A small orb that glowed orange formed at the base of his hand, slowly getting bigger before he released it, firing it towards the target.  
The energy ball latched onto the stone and the young grey's hand rose as he stumbled slightly. With his palm raised, he kept a keen eye on the stone as it levitated into the sky several metres,

"...there, now let it loose!" The deepened voice shouted.

The small child released his grasp and the orange ball of light expanded and exploded, smashing the stone to pieces high above them. He smiled with delight at the sight of it, and his father clapped.

"Bravo, Jiren. You're getting good at this! I couldn't barely control my ki when I was your age!" He stood down to the youngling's level and pat him on the head.

"That was fun! Could we do that again? I could take out that really, really big rock with an even _bigger_ blast!"

Jiren was excited to continue with the training, but his father moved back down to his level to lower his eager wrist, "Sorry little fighter, but we must head back. Your mother wanted me to take some herbs to our neighbours at Khoraha. Perhaps I could give you some flying lessons when I get back instead!"

Jiren's eyes widened with excitement, "Oh, yes please! I've always wanted to fly! I wanna fly through the stars like you do!"

"In due time, you will. The more you practice, the stronger you'll get and the further you can roam the cosmos. Heh, if I'm not careful you may even surpass your old man here in no time!" He said with a grin.

 _ **"Raun!"**_ A woman shouted within the confines of Raun's mind. The telepathic voice had startled him, causing him to jump slightly. Jiren looked up at his father, curious as to why he reacted that way.

"...Dad?"

"Heh, that was your mother calling for me. I think she wants us to head back to the village."

Both Jiren and his father turned towards the pathway crevice in the canyon surrounding to where the voice came from.

"Oh, could I go play down by the river? I wanna go watch the whitebait swim by!"

Raun, Jiren's father, looked at him in thought. "Hmm... Well, alright. Just don't go too far. You'll need to be back by lunchtime too, you hear?"

"Of course!"

Jiren replied, already running off in the opposite direction to where Raun was headed. Raun smiled with content, before he floated up off the ground himself and flew himself back towards the village.

* * *

Upon arrival at the village, Raun could see the villagers out and about in preparation for a midday feast. He greatly enjoyed the smells all around him of the variety of foods being prepared, but a large roast on a spit caught his attention, however, it was far from being cooked. It sat suspended above an open fire, with one of the other greys keeping a close watch on it, turning it to allow it to cook evenly.

Raun grinned with confidence.

He released an orange glowing orb of ki towards the roast and the nearby chef screeched in surprise, jumping away as it attached to the roast. Raun had a steady focus on his ki and then he released it, watching as it engulfed the entire roast in a spectacular array of golden light.

"Feast your eyes on this!"

Just seconds later, the light dissipated and the fire below the meat gasped away into smoke. But what surprised everyone was that the roast itself appeared to be evenly cooked all over.

"No way! Let me double-check..."

The chef gasped, rushing over towards his roast and he began to inspect it, slicing through the middle of it with his oversized knife to check if his meal was truly well cooked. Astoundingly, it was just right. Not raw or undercooked, but not dry and overdone neither.

"It's perfect!" The chef gave a thumbs up and the other villagers who were looking on started clapping. Raun just shrugged and smiled, revelling in the attention from those all around him.

"Man, no need for an oven when we have this dude around! You need to teach us your techniques!" A villager rejoiced. But before Raun could reply, another figure came into view from behind a hut.

"Ah, Raun, there you are. Drawing in attention as per usual…"

A familiar female voice spoke before him. Raun stopped in his tracks after soaking in the attention and he stood there to smile at the woman in front of him. She was a bit shorter and more delicate in appearance. She was fairly curvaceous, wearing her robes like a dress occupied with a pair of sandals. Like Raun and the other greys, she too didn't have any hair. Her skin was a slightly deeper tone of purple than his.

"Anala… sorry, I got a little carried away there, heh."

"You've got work to do. The folks over at Khoraha are eager for some of our medicinal herbs. In exchange you can snag us some of their fabrics. Winter is drawing near. Wouldn't it be nice to have some better clothing?"

Anala waltzed up close to Raun, grinning with intent. She handed him over a backpack of sorts, which he immediately took to wear around his back. Raun smiled back gingerly.

"Heh, of course. I was just teaching Jiren a few of my tricks."

"Where is he anyhow?"

Raun looked off to the side, out towards the canyonside. "Oh, he's just down at the stream playing. I suppose it's not easy being the only child in the village; he becomes bored and restless."

Anala looked out to where Raun was gazing, agreeing with him.

"Well, I must get going. Jiren should be making his way back soon for lunch, and I don't want to miss out."

Raun moved in close towards Anala to plant a kiss on her forehead. She beamed back at him, staring into his eyes, "Take care… and don't be late!"

Walking out into a clearing of the village, Raun powered up the ki within him to form a glowing aura of red energy around his body. He immediately shot up off the ground in a spectacular array of light and disappeared into the lavender skies in a mere few seconds or so.

Anala stood by with a few of the other villagers, grinning warmly at his departure.

* * *

Roughly half a kilometre away from the village lay a small stream of flowing water, where a few trees and shrubs occupied the banks. Several stone columns lay spread out along the riverside, one of which Jiren was laying on top of as he watched the small fish in the stream below him. He was content with the critters swimming below him until a sound in the distance caught his attention,

"Huh?"

Jiren got up off the column and listened out to what he had heard. His shadow suddenly encroaching in on their aquatic space caused the fish to flee as he stood, listening carefully.

And there it was again; faint chirping seemingly coming from the patch of grass situated beneath the largest tree of the area.

The young grey ran over towards the noise of the creature and he stopped where he could spot what it was. He peered down into the grass and could see an avian-reptilian type critter, of which appeared to be quite young and helpless.  
He was fascinated by it, reaching in gently to pick it up. Upon being touched, it immediately began to chirp loudly, begging for food and that wais when he realized it was a nestling of some sorts. He looked up above him and could see the shape of a nest in the branches.

"Hmm… your home must be up there. Don't worry little guy, I'll help you!"

Jiren made his way over towards the trunk of the tree, inspecting it to figure out a way he could make the climb upwards. He placed the critter in a pocket in his robe as he began to make his ascent, making his way towards each branch that could support his weight. He was also careful not to crush the nestling with his movements.  
When he made it up halfway, he came to realize that he was unable to proceed any further. The branches were too small and the nest was too far out of reach, being at least a couple of metres above him.

 _"No, I can't give up… hmm… Maybe I can try this…"_

Jiren frowned in annoyance whilst thinking to himself. He closed his eyes and begun focusing his inner ki, much like when he was practicing how to fire blasts with his father. But this time, he focused it around himself, rather than to the palm of his hand.  
He opened his eyes and looked out towards the nest in the tree, and with enough determination, he began to make his steady advance towards it, away from the branches.

He was airborne.

Flying up towards the nest, he could see the two other nestlings and he smiled, reuniting the remaining chick with the others. Jiren then realized that he was totally airborne and quite high up off the ground. He wasn't quite sure how to make his way down safely.

"Whoa, I did it. But... how do I fly down?"

He became a little nervous and lost his balance a little, dropping down a metre or two but he refocused to stay in the air. He regained his posture and slowly began the descent downwards until he could land on the grass safely.

"I… I actually did it! All by myself! I gotta go tell Mum and Dad!" He beamed, eyes brimming with excitement.

He hurriedly left the canyon to dash back towards the village, excitement flowing through his mind at what he had in store for his parents.

* * *

Raun's fiery aura surrounded him on the way back through to planet Cal'or and, upon entry into the planet's atmosphere, he could sense that something was wrong. His expression changed, as he passed through the clouds and down towards his homeland.

He could see smoke in the distance and he could smell it as he drew nearer.

Then he heard the screams of terror coming from the village.

Raun flung himself towards the village to find out what was happening and was horrified by what he saw; several of the homes were set alight and ransacked, and villagers were scattered in all directions in sheer panic.

Rushing towards the commotion, he felt a strong energy force nearby and he pursued it. The echoed screams of those nearby started to fill his heart with fear, and that fear gradually escalated into dread the closer he got to his destination. He stopped suddenly, noticing several greys lay scattered around him, heavily wounded and presumably dead.

 _"... who… who could have done this?"  
_  
One of the fleeing villagers noticed Raun standing there, who was in utter shock by what was happening.

"Hurry! Get out of here while you still can!"

A violet figure of dark matter formed nearby out of thin air and savagely hacked down the fleeing grey before him. Blood spurt forth from the wound a glistening blade caused as the victim stumbled face first to the ground. Raun was petrified by what he saw, watching as the villager gasped in agony and the otherworldly blade hacked at him again to silence him.

Raun's instinct switched to survival mixed with a dash of fury.

He powered up and quickly dodged the incoming blow from the unknown entity, where he then flew towards a few other nearby victims to help them escape. Raun drew in by to pick them up but the evil being appeared yet again right near his side, effortlessly hacking down both the woman and man in their tracks.  
Raun was astounded by the sheer cruelty of what was happening. He fired several heated ki-blasts at the violet, shadowy being, but it did little to slow it down as it stared back at him with glowing red eyes.

It almost seemed as if it were taunting him.

Raun yelled in anger and dashed in towards the being with all his might, firing up his fist to deliver a devastating blow, but the shadowy being disappeared before his eyes and reappeared right near another group of fleeing villagers, once again to viciously silence them in their tracks.

Yet Raun wasn't about to give up, he swung around and dashed towards the demonic presence. This time he landed a blow on it with his energy-clad fist, smashing into it with ferocity.  
The being stumbled over a metre or so, before regaining its posture and reappearing right by Raun's side as the two clashed in midair. Unexpectedly, the dreaded blade came from Raun's left side out of thin air and struck across his ribs. The unknown entity fled past his shaken form, and Raun let out a grunt of agony as he was catapulted through the air and crashed through a house.

The shadowy figure vanished almost immediately and reappeared elsewhere as the screams echoed out again.

* * *

Still making his way back to the village, Jiren was buzzing with excitement by his first experience in using his ki for flight. He scurried along the path until he came near the cliffside before his homeland.

He was puzzled by what he saw coming from the village; smoke and fire in places it normally wouldn't be, torn down doorways and damaged furniture lay scattered about. He didn't quite know what to make of it.

Nevertheless, he made his way down the stairway towards the village, racing down the track into the village centre.

He felt a bit uneasy, unable to make out the reason why and as he moved closer, the only sounds that greeted him were from crackling fires within the burning huts nearby. Soon, he came across a few villagers, but they remained motionless, even as he walked near them.

Jiren truly didn't understand the nature of what was going on, and then he heard somebody in the distance.

* * *

" **Jiren! Where are you?"**

Anala called out, frantically rushing into the doorway of her home, in desperate hopes that he would be found there. Anala's brow creased in worry as she searched every crevice and piece of furniture in their home. She shuffled about and before she could turn around, the dark presence had found its way in. The all too familiar glowing violet aura surrounding the being as it advanced towards her, red eyes intent on bloodshed.

 **"STOP!"**

A vicious blast of orange ki clashed with the dastardly being from behind. It turned around, seemingly angered by the sudden interruption.  
Raun stood at the doorway breathing heavily, sheer determination filling his eyes. He was in severe pain, clutching the left side of his ribs with his right palm to stem the flow of magenta blood. He gritted his teeth tightly as he carefully made his way inside.

Anala stared over in Raun's direction, eyes widened in sorrow at the sight of her partner, "Raun… no…"

"Why are you doing this to us? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT!?"

Shouting in fury, Raun stood up straight to try and get any kind of answer out of this unknown foe. The pair of glowing eyes glared at Raun for a few seconds before turning their attention towards Anala, who was pressed up against the wall, shaking in fear at the whole ordeal.

Raun's aura flared up and he threw himself towards the being. His assault was cut short by the sudden drawing of a blade from the dark matter surrounding the trio.

Gasping in utter agony, Raun was frozen in his tracks, being held aloft by the wicked blade that had impaled his heart and protruded out his back. He coughed up blood before the blade withdrew and he slumped to the floor in front of his wife, and the terrifying being before him.  
Anala's eyes filled with pain as she felt his life signature fade away from his body.

 **"NO!"**

She shrieked in terror, making a desperate rush to embrace him. The dark being beside her peered down menacingly and she turned her head to give off a fearsome glare - the large pupils in her eyes glowing red.

She unleashed a barrage of invisible strikes, which shoved the shadowy force back slightly but she was quickly caught by the tight grasp of the evil entity as it reappeared right up in front of her. It had Anala by the neck, raising her up to the level of its demonic eyes.

 _"There is no point in resisting when you're this weak. The cleansing will be over soon enough…"_

A faint yet threatening voice could be vaguely heard from behind this otherworldly force of energy.

Anala could do nothing as the grasp around her neck became so tight that breathing became difficult. As the pressure on her vertebrae became more and more intense, she closed her teary eyes, ready to accept her imminent demise.

"Mum?"

Little Jiren was outside, having heard his mother's voice close by. He rushed over in the direction of his home and approached the doorway.

The sight inside his home was difficult for his innocent mind to comprehend; the glowing shadowy figure simply puzzled him. He was quick to realize the gravity of the situation when he saw that his mother was being held up by the neck and his father lay motionless on the floor nearby. The sight of so much blood suddenly threw him into a panic and he looked up again at the negative energy, eyes widened in absolute fear.

The dastardly figure released his mother, who slumped to the floor near his father, and it drew in close towards Jiren's petrified form. He stood there shaking in fear, before he let out a loud shriek of terror.

He immediately closed his eyes and cowered, waiting for his incoming fate...

But it never came for him.

He remained terrified and shaken, yet he uncovered his eyes to peer out in front of him. The eerie figure had vanished. He couldn't feel the presence of it anymore neither. _Where did it go?_ He wondered.

But his attention was drawn towards the form of his parents on the floor in front of him. He rushed over and knelt beside them.

"Mum, Dad?" He tried nudging the both of them, desperate for any kind of reaction. "The monster is gone… we're safe now."

There was still no answer, no movement, nothing. He was finding it difficult to understand the nature of the situation. "What's wrong… Mum… Dad…?"

He pulled back, emptiness overcoming him. _Are they… gone?_ He pondered. The idea of knowing that his parents were no longer with him began to sink in, but he didn't want to accept it. He huddled up close to them, trying to gain any bit of warmth and comfort in hopes that perhaps they would come back around.

* * *

A couple of hours passed by and Jiren remained curled up near the cold bodies of his parents. A living presence was at the doorway, but he paid it no mind.

" _Oh no…"_

Jiren heard the deep voice and turned around to look up at the talk bulky figure. He was large, with dark green skin, a very muscled build, long pointy ears and flowing grey hair. He clearly was an alien being from another planet; Jiren had never seen another sentient species before.  
For some reason, Jiren didn't feel any fear towards this person, yet, he wasn't sure what to make of him.

"Come now little fellow, we're here to rescue you…"

Jiren gazed back, feeling meek and uncertain of this strange looking man. He could understand his foreign accented tongue at least.

"I am sorry for your loss; many here have perished. You're the only survivor. We must leave to ensure our safety. My name is Tahu, by the way..."

Tahu came in close to Jiren and offered his hand. The small grey felt a little intimidated, but the warm smile he was getting reassured him that he would be safe. With a longing glance back at his parents, Jiren came to the conclusion that his parents were no longer with him and he accepted Tahu's hand. The man gently picked Jiren up and shifted to allow him to cling onto his back.

"Well will take your mother and father some place to lay rest…"

The large form of Tahu stood over the grey parents and he let out a sigh. He then picked up both bodies and brought them outside where several other alien beings were moving around, having marked and dug out graves in the ground.

Tahu took several steps near the large hollow in the ground. He knew the pair were a couple, and that they should lay rest together. Jiren peered over his shoulder to watch what was happening - he had seen burials before, but not of the same nature of course. The young grey now knew for sure that this was the last time he would see his parents. His eyes began to tear up as he saw the other men begin to cover their bodies with the surrounding soil. There was nothing that could fix this. They weren't going to wake up.

This was their final farewell.

* * *

Hours had passed by after Jiren fell into a slumber on the way back towards an alien spaceship, emotionally exhausted by all that had happened. Tahu and the other folk following him were from a planet in the nearby star system. Their home planet was Khohara, the same planet where Raun had visited prior to the attack on Cal'or.

Their ship landed on soil unfamiliar to the young grey, but the planet bore a very similar climate and landscape to Cal'or. It was quite warm and humid, and was surrounded by mountains and various rock formations.

The inhabited area looked far more populated and civilized, with large houses, stores and vehicles all spread throughout the town centre. Aliens of many different races lived here, even a few greys lived among the other fellow foreigners.

Nevertheless, Tahu remained inside his ship with a sleeping Jiren nearby, who lay huddled up in a blanket and pillow nestled under his head. They were in one of the training dojos on board the ship where several punching bags, practise dummies and other training gear were lay sprawled out across the room.

The tall form of Tahu glanced over towards Jiren, sighing to himself and deep in thought.

 _"Just what exactly was happening on Cal'or… so much senseless death… I cannot understand the meaning behind it all…"_

He couldn't get his head around it. He walked over towards a clearing in the room and sat down, where he began meditating to bring some sort of peace to his troubled mind.

Minutes later, Jiren began to stir and he woke to find himself inside the strange room. His eyes observed all around at the equipment, having never seen so much training gear in one place before. He was familiar with some of it, thanks to his father and a few other greys who liked to train for combat.

He hopped out of the bedding and made his way down the steps ahead of him, curious of the training gear inside the room.

Jiren was on the opposite side of the room to where Tahu was meditating, yet he didn't pay him any mind as he came across a large punching bag before him. He remembered watching his father use these to show other fighters his special technique for unleashing a rapid flurry of punches.

Jiren felt a spontaneous urge to want to throw a punch at it, and so he clenched his tiny fist and pulled it back, then suddenly he thrust it forward.

"Oww!" He let out a yelp and flinched backward slightly. The punching bag was a lot firmer than it appeared to be and it hurt his hand quite a bit. Jiren felt disappointed in himself as he looked down at his hand.

"Heh, I'll teach you how to fight when you're a little older."

Tahu had appeared right by his side, and Jiren glanced upwards at him before turning his head away in shame. "I promise…"

He gave Jiren a reassuring grin, before he turned away for a brief moment. But as he did this, Jiren curled his fingers to prepare a punch again but this time an orange glow surrounded his fist. He had his eyes closed, focusing his inner willpower; his ki.

Determination.

He fired his fist forward and much to the shock of himself, the bag was hit with such surprising force that it was torn off its attachment to the ceiling and sent flying across the room.

Tahu was startled by the racket behind him and he spun around to see the punching bag had been relocated into some nearby furniture. He could only stare with bewilderment at the sight of it all. Tahu eagerly made his way back near Jiren's tiny frame, who he stood there, inspecting his hand once again. Even Jiren himself, was quite surprised by what he managed to pull off just then.

"Heh, looks like I'll need to train you a lot sooner than expected. Tell me, what is your name, young warrior?"

He looked up at Tahu's form, taking small steps close to stand right in front of him.

"My name is Jiren."

* * *

 **Well there's the first chapter! First time posting a DBS story here to , so I hope it's alright! Truth be told, I specialize in illustrations (art) rather than writing, but I'm just so eager to write this story I've come up for Jiren, seeing as he's my favourite character and all! I've got the whole plot planned from start to finish. If you want to see some of the many illustrations I've done for this story, along with concept art for characters (such as Jiren's parents), be sure to check out my DeviantART! (username is Teira-Nova) I have the chapters posted on there and they contain illustrations (seeing as this site doesn't allow images in chapters)  
**  
 **The story starts off in his past (as you can see) and these first few chapters go into his backstory until it reaches the current events after the Tournament of Power. Once it reaches there, there wont be anymore big 'time skips' so... yeah! :-) also, Android 21 does exist in this story's verse, don't worry it'll all be explained once it reaches those parts (basically a plot similar to Fighterz is treated as if it happened sometime before the ToP. But the story's focus is on Jiren & Universe 11 anyway). Either way, I hope you guys like it! If this first chapter is well received, I'll post the next one very soon (I'm currently writing the 4th though) I'll see how things go...**

 **Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please let me know. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two - Brave young warrior**

 _Age 747  
Planet Khoraha_

Barren scrublands stretched out as far as the eye could see as a light breeze blew by, rustling the sparse shrubs and vegetation. Another gentle gust of wind fluttered the blue gi worn by the youngster who stood strong with his boots slightly apart near the cliffside. A beanie sat atop his head, unmoved by the wind.  
Eight years had passed by and the young Jiren had grown strong over those few years, progressing well in his pursuit to becoming a true warrior. For a youth, he was quite strong and had mastered his flight by now.

Jiren's stance reflected his confidence before he took off into the horizon in the blink of an eye. Flying with his arms outstretched ahead of him, he brushed past hillsides and mountaintops and as his speed grew rapidly in intensity the vast variety of landscapes became nothing but a blur of organic colours. However, at the familiar sight of his homeland, Jiren slowed.

Flying above the town where he arrived at years prior, several townsfolk took note of his presence in the air and waved at him from below.

Jiren descended down to approach the group of faces he'd come to know over the years and landed at the clearing near their feet. They were a diverse group of alien races of various ages from all across the galaxy. They all wore a matching blue gi, showing that they too were warriors in training much like Jiren himself.

One of the scruffy looking beings from the group took a few steps out towards Jiren, grinning with confidence and standing up in the grey's face. The young man was fairly bulky, with pointy ears, cerulean skin and red hair. He was certainly quite a fair bit larger than Jiren himself. His head tipped down slightly to look at Jiren,

"Alright kid, I want to see if you are as strong as the folk here claim you to be."

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold back for your own safety?"

Jiren warned, giving off a slight smirk. The young man looked rather baffled, yet with a hint of friendly competition in his shifting expression.

"Heh, no holding back, man. I don't intend to do the same either if you can live up to the hype!"

Both Jiren and his opponent got into their battle stances and the other warriors, young and old alike, took a few steps back to encircle them. They chanted _"fight, fight!"_ with some throwing out Jiren's name in between, followed by the opponent's name here and there.

The eager duo immediately clashed fists before diving into a flurry of punches and kicks. Jiren was on the defense while his rival was high on offense. Jiren preferred to allow his opponents to attack first so he could observe their movements and strength to calculate his own form of retaliation. He also did this to get a general feel of their power in comparison to his own.

"Tama, you better watch carefully with this little guy! Most of us have experienced what he's capable of!"

"Keep it down; I'm trying to land a hit on him!"

Tama shouted, whilst Jiren continued to block every single blow from him. His keen eyes remained locked onto the larger form of his opponent as he made his first offensive strike by connecting his fist with Tama's abdomen.

He gasped and stumbled backwards, "Argh damn, that actually hurt from such a small fist!"

Jiren bounced back grinning, falling back into his fighter's stance, calculating his next form of attack. Tama drove in again with his flurry of punches but this time he managed to land an unsuspecting kick at Jiren's left side, catching the grey by surprise. Jiren didn't lose any focus however and quickly regained his footing, bracing himself for Tama's next move,

"Jiren, do that _eye-thing_ of yours!" one of the men in the crowd shouted.

"Eye-thing?" questioned Tama, painted with a confused look before he turned around to face the young grey, standing by waiting for his next attack.

"I don't know. It might be a bit unfair on this guy."

Said Jiren, giving off a cheeky grin at his opponent. Tama's face screwed up in annoyance, clearly taking offense, "You cocky little bugger!"

Tama let out a yell, powering up his ki and setting off a bright aura around his entire body. He suddenly threw himself forward at an insane speed that only experienced martial artists could bear witness.

Yet time had seemingly stood still for Jiren, who had begun closing his eyes...

He stood strong with his eyes closed and, as Tama got closer at his point of view his eyes shot open. His large pupils were red, causing space-time between the two to become altered. Jiren's glare was so intense that Tama was caught by it, slowed down and left exposed. From Jiren's point of view, he was able to move freely, thus allowing him to throw a series of punches at Tama's exposed weak points. The young warrior struck him many times before shoving him aside into a nearby obstacle.

Jiren's eyes switched back to normal in the milliseconds that followed and Tama went crashing into a wooden shack near the mountainside. Everyone who had witnessed the technique were amazed and stumped by what they saw.

To them, they couldn't see Jiren move. They could only see that his eyes had changed red for a brief moment, and Tama suffering an invisible flurry of blows before he went crashing into the hut nearby.

It was a puzzling sight to most common folk that was for certain.

Jiren hurried over to Tama who lay in the debris and broken wooden planks. Their audience followed to watch was about to unfold before them.

Tama lay there, quite fazed and worn out after such an intense attack and he coughed at the dust that had been thrown up. A moment passed and the cloud began to clear and settle down revealing Jiren's small frame standing before him.

"Man, you really are as strong as they say. I honestly don't think I would have stood a chance if you were fighting serious! Heh, how embarrassing of me to lose to a kid…"

Tama looked ashamed with himself, yet Jiren grinned and kneeled down. He offered his hand out and Tama accepted immediately, letting the small grey pull him onto his feet.

"You landed a hit on me, so don't beat yourself up over it. Most of the other guys haven't been able to hit me yet."

"Heh I see. Either way keep growing stronger, Jiren. Maybe you'll surpass Master Tahu someday!" Tama chuckled, moving in to shake hands with Jiren, but a tall, dark figure caught everybody's attention on the nearby hill, "Speak of the devil…"

All the warriors turned to see that the great Tahu was standing by, overlooking them with a sense of pride.

"Master!"

Jiren wasted no time and flew over to Tahu. The other students watched by, pleased to see their teacher had come visit them out of the blue.

"Jiren, just the fellow I needed to see; I need to have a word with you. It won't be long."

"Oh, if it's about the mess here, we'll clean and uhh… repair that shed as soon as possible!"

"Heh, it's not about that. Although, a repair job would be appreciated by the locals 'round here. But first, we must speak"

Jiren simply looked up at Tahu, who was still much taller than he was. _"I wonder what he's going to talk about? Am I in trouble or something?"_ He pondered.

"Please excuse us for a moment, fellow students."

And with that, both Tahu and Jiren levitated off the ground and took off into the skies with a sudden gust of energy.

* * *

Both student and master sat atop a cliffside, overlooking the brilliant hues of reds and purples illuminating the landscape around them. With the two of them seated comfortably, Tahu spoke up,

"Jiren, this is about your training-"

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to damage houses, mountains and other things. I try my best to avoid that… sometimes I get a bit carried away." Jiren looked away awkwardly, avoiding any eye contact with Tahu.

"It's not about that - although less damage to personal property would be nice. Yet on the contrary, the locals have the privilege of there being no criminals around when you're about. Anyhow, the fact being is that this planet is becoming a bit too... restrictive for your training. Don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long does it take you to fly around the globe of this planet? Or more precisely, how many times can you do so in one go?"

Jiren rubbed his forehead with his fingers, "Well… I don't know, I do it so quickly that it's kind of difficult to keep track of, especially when everything becomes nothing but a blur."

"See? There isn't enough room for you to truly spread your wings here. I feel that being confined to this planet is hindering your potential as a warrior."

Jiren looked up at his master, uncertain with what to make out of the words he was saying. Yet he could feel that Tahu was right. He knew deep down that there really wasn't enough space here for him to reach further potential. It didn't help that he was unable to get much of a challenge out of the other students.

"So… what can I do to become even stronger then, Master?"

"Jiren, your kind can survive in the vacuum of space. Unlike most of us here who are confined to the surface and spaceships."

"Hmm... I do remember hearing rumours about that, but how would I breathe? How come none of the other greys here fly into space?"

Tahu scratched his goatee, peering downward, "They're probably too afraid to try, or feel they have no reason to. I believe it requires a certain level of power to withstand the elements in space. As for the breathing part, I wouldn't know. Perhaps you simply hold your breath?"

Tahu looked at his young student, who noticed that he was deep in thought. Jiren did wonder to himself if he was able to handle such a feat and he imagined all the possibilities of being able to roam outer space without relying on a spaceship.

After all, Tahu would sometimes take everybody on class trips to train on deserted planets around the galaxy. Even returning to Cal'or from time to time to grab natural resources. Jiren rather liked the idea of being able to fly wherever he pleased.

Jiren looked out into the navy coloured sky, now that the sun had all but vanished beyond the horizon. The stars lit up the sky, accompanied by the glowing moons of Khoraha. The two bright spheres caught Jiren's interest.

"I could try flying to one of those moons."

"Well then, how about you give it a shot? Although if you feel that it's putting you under any pressure, simply turn back and try another time."

Jiren eagerly took a stand, brushing himself off, "Heh, I believe I can do this…"

"I believe in you too, Jiren. I'm proud to see how strong you've become at such a young age. One day you could be aiding all sorts of folk across the galaxy. I envision a bright future ahead of you with your hidden potential..."

Tahu got up, smiling appreciatively at his young student, who beamed back at him. Jiren's eyes were filled with the most utmost determination and confidence.

The grey's stance was powerful and he clenched both his fists tight. Eliciting a piercing yell, he powered a fierce array of energy around him. Tahu stepped back from Jiren to watch as his aura grew more powerful and intense. His eyes crinkled in the corners from his smile, not at all hiding how proud he was of the youngster. He was very much aware of the kind of power the young grey was unleashing, being able to feel it in all its might.

Jiren blasted off into the darkening sky, heading straight for the moon ahead of him. His master remained on the mountain, folding his arms and keeping a watchful eye on his pupil. Tahu held him in high regards and had faith in the grey but couldn't help but feel slightly concerned, as if Jiren were a son to him.

* * *

It didn't take long for Jiren to come face to face with the surface of the nearby moon he had chosen to land upon. His powerful aura protected him from the extremes of outer space. He did not feel cold and his body did not burn from radiation. Though at the forefront of it all, Jiren felt strange. The absolute absence of an atmosphere was an odd sensation to him - he certainly wasn't breathing, yet, he felt as if he didn't _need_ to. Perhaps he had enough oxygen in his body to sustain himself here for the time being. What baffled him the most was he was able to hear the sounds of himself and the aura all around him. Even straining his ears, Jiren heard nothing else in the vast void of space.

He turned around to look back at the view of outer space and his breath was caught in his throat at the sight of Koraha before him. The planet he now called home was partially illuminated by the sun.

Breaking free from the astounding sight before him, Jiren took advantage of the weak pull of gravity and sat down. Although it was very weak, it was enough for him remain seated on the moon. His aura stayed illuminated around his body, and he pondered to himself,

 _"I feel like I can do… so much more now. I could roam the stars and find ways to become a better fighter. I could seek other strong people to further improve myself! And defeat criminals!"_

Brainstorming the possibilities, Jiren became quite excited at the goals he could aim for in due time. Perhaps even sooner than anybody else would expect. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself but then a sharp jolt of energy - a strange sensation, struck him at that very moment.

Something odd.

Something...

Strangely familiar, and uncomfortable.

Discomfort.

But, why?

Jiren looked all around him and the moon's surface. There was nothing but the empty landscape of asteroids and spacedust. But then he felt that sensation hit him again, and he glanced out into the direction of planet Khoraha. It was coming from there. Jiren felt a gut wrenching feeling deep within, and he began to sweat.

 _"No… it can't be…"_

He immediately stood, powered himself up even more and fired himself back towards the planet at breakneck speeds.

* * *

"What was that thing!?"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"Somebody, help! Please, help me!"

"Seerah's been cut down, we need assistance!"

"Where the hell did it go now?!"

The town was in panic; several buildings and vehicles were aflame and tossed into pure chaos. Frightened people were running in all directions, confused as to where to run and hide from the unidentified danger. The night sky was illuminated by the flames and Jiren was able to pinpoint the location for that very reason.

He landed in the middle of the road as other civilians fled the fires and collapsing buildings. One structure nearby crumbled in on itself and smoke and debris blew past him and the terrified townsfolk. Jiren was shocked by what was happening and he reached out to grab a man by his arm,

"What is going on here!?"

The man flinched and bounced backwards from his grasp, "AHH Jiren! You're okay, what a relief!"

"Can you explain what's happening?!" Jiren asked in desperation.

"I… I don't know how to say this. This- this strange thing just appeared and…"

An explosion at the nearby fueling depot startled everyone and the man near Jiren yelped in fear, before scurrying off, "Jiren, you must leave, NOW!"

Jiren frowned in annoyance, lifting himself off the ground to fly over to the source of the explosion. A couple civilians had fled from the scene to avoid being hurt by the fiery hazard that was ever growing thanks to the nearby fuel canisters.

As Jiren drew in closer, he could sense the energy of something familiar.

Something dark.

From behind the fire, he spotted a figure lying on the ground. He pushed through with his aura to protect himself from the flickering flames in an attempt to retrieve the victim but when he approached him, he realized the person was already gone.

Yet he was no victim of the flames, or smoke inhalation for that matter. Upon further inspection Jiren realised that the deceased was a grey, and he had a stab wound in the side of his head.

 _But why? how?_

Jiren felt greatly disturbed, stepping back before flying in reverse into the sky.

 _"The demon… it's back…."_

He screwed his face up in sheer fury, pupils shrinking, as he raced through the sky to find his fellow comrades. It didn't take him long to locate them and he saw that they too were bracing themselves against this unknown being. Jiren's eyes homed in on the familiar shadowy figure surrounded in its purple haze and he knew for sure it was the same demon of his past. The energy was just as devious and just as intense as he could recall from all those years ago.

He rushed to the side of his warrior companions, all of which were standing together to brace themselves for what was to come.

"Jiren! Thank the gods you made it! Is this the so called evil-doer…?"

Jiren took a few steps out in front of the group, glaring at the demonic being with searing hatred, "Yes…"

"I… honestly don't think we stand a chance against this... otherworldly thing…"

One of the fellow men stuttered. Admittedly, most of the group were afraid of this dastardly foe. Some had already witnessed the mysterious methods in which it brought upon destruction and death to parts of the town in such a short amount of time.

"I believe we have a chance if we stand together. If you want to leave, then do so. But those of you who choose to fight, stand with me!"

Shouted Jiren, positioning himself defensively and flaring up his scarlet aura. Amazingly, all of the other warriors took a stand with him, engulfing themselves with their own auras. Despite their fear, they all took on defensive stances alongside the brave young Jiren.

The hazy figure reacted to their aggressive poses and made a move immediately for Jiren who avoided it with extreme speed and agility.

The other warriors followed, some dodging and some firing back ki-blasts from their palms, all of which had no immediate effect on this hazy figure. Its red eyes glared in the direction of one of the other grey fighters…

The action of the being was incredibly swift. And ruthless. A blade struck the unsuspecting grey from out of the shadows, piercing his back and killing him instantly. Jiren had witnessed the cruel fate of his comrade just metres ahead and fear took hold of him, watching the body of this young adult fall to the ground with the splatter of blood.

The other alien warriors at his side watched in horror. It didn't make any sense - where did that blade come from? How did this being pull off such a feat without any obvious signs?

Most puzzling of all was why it was targeting the greys?

The nearby warriors felt the gravity of what they were up against and some of them retreated into the air. A couple more adult grey warriors among the few who fled the scene in panic.

Jiren remained with the other fighters, regaining his composure and powering up the palm of his hand. He swished through the sky to come face to face with the evil doer, shooting fearsome ki-blasts from both his hands to try and distract it from the fleeing warriors.

It hastily disappeared and reappeared from sight to halt the fleeing group of fighters in their flight, immediately striking down two of them in a single swipe. The intended victim was a grey, but the non-grey near him was cut down as well. It disappeared from reality to reappear before the trio of the opposing side of the field…

Suddenly, the form of Tahu exploded into view and pushed the would-be victims out of harm's way. The shadowy figure stopped in its tracks and came before Master Tahu. He glared, before retreating backwards to join the other fighters alongside Jiren.

"I'm sorry I took my time to join, I was aiding some civilians who were trapped in a burning apartment complex."

Tahu explained, breathing heavily and looking around to take in what his students had been going through while he wasn't present. The other warriors acknowledged him and nodded,

"You're here now, and that's all that matters." Jiren rushed over to stay suspended in the air at his master's side.

"Don't give in to this monster, fellow students! Fire together if you wish to fight for our fallen comrades - and our homeland!"

"Come on everybody, give it everything you've got!"

Jiren shouted after Tahu, powering up the palms of both his hands, large energy spheres forming at the base of them. As his power grew, so did Tahu and the other surviving fighters at their side who all had their own energy emitting from their hands. Together, they fired their ray of light in unison impacting the devilish form of the evil-doer. An immense blast followed, lighting up the surrounding skies and engulfing the area.

The fighters alongside Jiren and Tahu waited by for the dust to settle. They couldn't sense the evil-doer no more, but they didn't know if they were a success or not. Seeing as the energy signature of this being was unpredictable.

Unfortunately, the dark essence returned in the sky before them seemingly unscathed. It floated above them all looking down at them with formidable red eyes. Its arms spread out wide.

Jiren and the others watched on, utterly stumped by what they witnessed. Many of them felt the utmost feeling of hopelessness, dread and fear…

 _"No… we can't fall to this evil, not like this!"_

Jiren's thoughts ran wild and he braced himself, preparing to use his glaring technique if he had to. Yet the evil-doer did not come for him. Instead, it teleported behind him and ruthlessly drew out its blade, hacking down many of the warriors with such ruthlessness that they simply had no chance to react or escape. Not only were greys being targeted this time but the other warriors as well. The entity was not picky, slicing up both the old and young, and many of his victims fell to the surface, one by one, all in the flash of mere seconds. Shrieks of death and terror echoed all around.

Jiren simply couldn't take it any more. The sight of so much bloodlust was too much for him to handle and he froze in mid air, feeling helpless in his abilities. His eyes widened.

 **"Jiren, WATCH OUT!"**

The youthful grey snapped out of his trance-like state but soon realised that his attempt to dodge was a failure by the immediate spike of pain near the base of his knee. The foreign blade had penetrated his flesh and scratched the bone, forcing him to reel in pain and fly sideways, crashing heavily into the ground below.

It appeared that whilst he was still struck, his dodge was enough to save his vitals. Nevertheless, it caused him immense pain, forcing Jiren to clutch the source of his bleeding injury. He swung his head around to see the ghastly figure advance towards him. Its large crimson eyes glowed devilishly as it moved in closer, blade drawn.

"NO! Leave him be, he's just a child!"

Tahu made a mad dash out in front of the evil in a desperate attempt to shield Jiren from his incoming fate-

 **"MASTER, NO!"**

Jiren watched in horror as Master Tahu cried out in agony as the sword pierced his body, impaling him before the grey. Jiren's eyes followed the body of his master as he slumped to the ground. And just like that, Tahu had been taken from him meeting the same fate as his parents.

Pain filled Jiren's eyes as he rose off the ground onto his feet. His body shook, not sure how to display his surge of pain, fear and sheer anger and hatred towards this being. Suddenly, something inside him snapped,

"I will… I will **destroy you**!"

Jiren grit his teeth, eyes glowing red with fury as his raging aura engulfed his body once more. His entire form still shook but from a mixture of agony and anger - his fear almost non-existent now from the rage bubbling just under his skin. He was ready to unleash his intense glare on the incoming foe. Jiren refused to back off, even if he knew deep down that he was no match for this kind of enemy. It _had_ to pay.

The violet haze-strewn figure simply looked at the young warrior. It almost seemed as if it were curious. The pair of eyes drew in close to Jiren and the figure of the being became ever so slightly more visible to Jiren's furious eyes…

 _"You're… not weak like the rest of them were."_

A whispering voice spoke to him from inside his head and Jiren felt a dash of intimidation from this _thing_. He was astonished to see how it was completely unaffected by his intense glare and was disturbed by the fact that it was communicating with him telepathically.

 _"I will return one day when you're more capable..."_

Upon hearing those ghastly words within the confines of his mind, the violet figure vanished into thin air. This time, with no real evidence of it being present anymore; the purple mist had dissipated and the wasteland was only lit up by the raging fires. Everything became quiet.

Jiren's traumatized form stood silent for a moment, until he looked down in front of him to see his fallen master. His angered gaze broke down into a look of despair as the feeling of loss took hold of him.

 _"Master… I'm… I'm sorry..."_

His voice was weak and his small unsteady steps conveyed his mental anguish. Jiren fell to his knees at the side of his fatherly figure, feeling a burning behind his eyes. The physical pain he endured paled in comparison to what he felt deep within right now, and the heartache that suddenly clawed at him led to his arms being thrown around the body of his master. The burning at the backs of his eyes gave way to tears and they streamed down his face as he buried himself in his master's ravaged attire.

The few warriors who had survived the final onslaught moved in close to stand over their fallen master, bowing down in respect. One of the survivors kneeled down to place a hand on Jiren's shoulder as he wept away in silence.

There was little they could do but grieve as one through the dark of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three - Descent into Solitude**

Three days had passed. An atmosphere of sorrow shrouded everybody who stood around the burial grounds of Khoraha. Light rainfall coated the gravestone marking the spot where Master Tahu was laid to rest. Several other graves were strewn across this wasteland, marking the sheer loss of what Jiren and his remaining companions had endured.

Counting Jiren, only ten students remained after the massacre took place. Several other lives were lost in the nearby towns as well - the majority of them being the remaining greys. Jiren was thought to be the last surviving grey on the planet. Nobody could make sense as to why his race was targeted, and those words the evil-doer parted with him continued to haunt him for the remainder of the nights and days that followed…

" _You're not weak like the rest of them were…"_

Jiren was damaged in more ways than one; his body was bruised from battle and the deep wound in his leg throbbed whenever he moved, but the grief however was on a whole other level. The loss of his master and fellow peers was heavy, making it incredibly difficult for him to speak up without breaking down into tears. He was barely holding himself together as it is, struggling to stay positive in the gloom of the passing days.

Despite all this anguish, he didn't want to let it beat him. He knew that he needed to stay strong for his fallen master. He needed to remain focused on a path for further strength. As long as he and his surviving companions remained confident and hopeful, he believed that they could rise to overcome their weaknesses and ensure that justice was brought to those who fell.

However from what Jiren had overheard, the majority of the fighters were not willing to push on in this quest for improvement.

"With… Master not being here… it doesn't mean we should just... give up. We could continue training to become stronger... together as one."

"Jiren, don't you understand? We never stood a chance against that… thing. Whatever it was, it was far too powerful." One of the survivors spoke out, some of the others averted their gaze to avoid eye contact with anybody.

"He's right - our ki-blasts did nothing. We couldn't even land a physical hit on it. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal… almost as if it were a ghost."

Another student stepped in, "I believe we should retire from this whole warrior quest, it has become far too dangerous-"

" **No!** I'll never let that demon get away with this! Master would not have given up in the face of evil!" Jiren exclaimed, glaring with his mournful eyes.

A student backfired, "Everybody else was slaughtered as if they were nothing but livestock! None of our techniques made an impact on that ghastly being; Master didn't even stand a chance. Don't you think he would have wanted us to survive? You're just a kid after all..."

Jiren averted his gaze from the others to think to himself, he knew they were right in that regard.

"This is why I believe you should leave it at that, and begin a new way of life-"

"-I can't back down. I know I have the potential to become something greater. You guys would too, if you could just try! Please, don't give up. Join me… anyone…"

The other nine men, both young and old exchanged glances at one another. Some were clearly stressed by what they had been through, while others looked agitated or empathetic at the sight of the ever so stubborn Jiren. They realized they couldn't convince the young grey to back away and give up on his quest for justice.

They silently turned their backs on him in unison.

Jiren looked disheartened as he watched his companions turn to make their descent down the mountainside. He turned away in response, at a loss for words at what he was experiencing.

They gave up. They had abandoned him.

At the thought of being on his own, Jiren felt empty. He appeared void of emotion on the outside but deep within, he was falling further into despair.

He approached Tahu's resting place once more, gazing down at his gravestone.

 _"Master… I won't back down…"_

Jiren was trying with all of his might not to break down into tears. He clutched his chest and trembled with the immense heartache he felt. Feeling himself choke up, he took several steps away from the gravesite in an attempt to breathe easier. He pulled the beanie off his head to have something to clench onto tightly with his fist and he shut his eyes tight.

The heartache that was clawing at him worked its way up his throat. And try as Jiren might, he could not keep it down.

He stopped in his tracks, stumbling in a mixture of anger, helplessness and despair.

Tears overcame him once more and he shattered. His rage, his grief, his loneliness, everything that had built up inside him all burst out in a broken cry. His sorrow echoed out down the mountainside.

* * *

The broken young warrior limped down the largely deserted streets he had lived in for the past eight years. He wore a backpack, filled with various belongings from his home. A few townsfolk were out and about, some repairing the damaged buildings caused by the villainous being days prior. But as soon as Jiren's presence was noticed, they vanished behind closed doors, buildings or windows. Not a single person attempted to approach him at his arrival.

" _Hey… he's that tough kid… one of the surviving warriors…"_

" _I thought all the greys were wiped out… how did he survive?"_

" _Didn't he come from that planet where the greys went extinct?"_

" _That evil being must have followed him to our town!"_

" _What if the monster comes back for us!?"_

" _He might be… cursed…"_

Jiren could hear the gossip all around him. He wasn't able to make out the full quotes being said, but he did pick up on some words and sentences, enough for him to take it to heart.

Hurtful words pierced through his fragile mind, allowing negative feelings to taint him. The sight of people moving away and watching from afar put immense pressure on him. Fearful eyes staring from a distance only added to his survivor's guilt.

He came to the conclusion that everything was his fault. Believing if only he was stronger, then none of those terrible things would have happened.

" _My parents wouldn't be dead... if I weren't so weak._

 _Master wouldn't have made that sacrifice… if I weren't so weak._

 _I could have saved everybody… if I weren't so weak._

 _The surviving students would have joined me… if I weren't so weak."_

He despised knowing that he wasn't strong enough.

He hated the loss with all his might.

He loathed himself for it.

Jiren grew more and more frustrated. Weakness; it disgusted him. His eyes glared at the ground and he trembled once more. Loneliness; there was nobody left by his side. No one remained to put his trust into. He only had himself to rely on.

Strength was one thing left that he believed he could attain. Master Tahu told him he had it in him. The potential to become much greater as a warrior.

Even the demon claimed he wasn't weak.

Jiren looked up into the cloudy sky. His expression was a maddening combination of sheer determination and strong-will. No way in hell was he going to give up and remain a weakling - or a coward. His fists shook uncontrollably, readying himself to leave the past behind to begin anew elsewhere.

" _...I will find a way to become stronger... on my own…"_

Furious ki erupted from around his entire body, engulfing himself in a glaring red aura, and he immediately took into the gloomy sky, tearing through the atmosphere and into the depths of outer space.

* * *

The following days were not easy for the grieving youngster. Miraculously, he had managed to find a route back to his home planet, although he had passed out and crashed into the planet's surface upon entry.

After recovering from the rough landing, he wasn't entirely sure how he was able to pinpoint it through the vastness of space. Perhaps its location was imprinted into his mind from birth or from the various visits between the two planets over the years.

Nevertheless, instinct had led him right back to the canyons in which he and his people once inhabited. The ruins of their homes were still present in his view, yet decaying and covered in dust. For obvious reasons he didn't want to settle there, as it would only add to the trauma he was already enduring. He needed to remove himself from the past.

Jiren took to the air in a frantic search to find someplace else to set up a new home, before he would become too exhausted from his injuries and the toll which space travel had taken on his tired body.

He discovered a large island near the equator, where the seasons would remain fairly mild and comfortable. It was a sub-tropical, heavily forested land, scattered with mountains and lakes. Large animals were absent as the island was mostly occupied by small avian and reptilian critters, as well as insects. Fish and other aquatic life filled the lakes and flowing rivers. Geothermal activity was present there also.

Jiren had to learn to be self-sufficient and independent, immediately starting to build his own home here a piece at a time after making a clearing in the forest with a precise ki blast.

Thanks to the camping trips his Master would take them on beforehand, he already had some knowledge on how to survive off the land. There was no shortage of natural resources here and the diverse and plentiful array of flora and fauna meant he had a wide variety of food all year round.

Jiren remembered which herbs of Cal'or were good for medicinal use, especially for the injury in his leg that had refused to heal. An infection had taken hold and weakened him over the past week due to neglect, so every bit of knowledge he had for survival truly helped in this solitude ahead of him.

There was nobody else to compete with for resources, and the wildlife was fairly harmless and generally left him alone. Besides the relentless amount of sandflies and mosquitoes, which he repelled with his own ki whenever necessary.

The days, weeks and months that followed were a test of Jiren's will to thrive. He recovered and became physically well enough to resume training. However the absence of companions did take a huge toll on him, even if he didn't want to acknowledge it.

Tears were often shed, especially when the memories of lost loved ones would resurface, spawned by nightmares or from depressive thoughts. His species was fairly social by nature, so it wasn't easy for him to adapt to this solitary life all of a sudden.

He longed for the comfort and warmth of others but at the same time… he resented it. The feeling of abandonment filled him at every moment; only intense training would help take his mind off the sadness that plagued him through the lonesome days that followed.

A few years passed and the more time he spent alone, the more resentful he appeared to be on the outside. Depression was ongoing, yet his fighting spirit and his will to live was strong.

Physically he was tough and well-built, with muscles growing more defined as he aged. Being only in his teenage years, he still had much room to grow. He wore hooded native-styled robes that he had found or thrown together from fabrics picked up while on travels around the galaxy. He liked to try and stay concealed from view.

Jiren trained alone and rarely came across other sentient beings. He explored outer space rather frequently - seeing that his home planet was just not a suitable training ground for the likes of him.

He came across various planets in nearby solar systems devoid of life; the perfect grounds for training to further enhance his techniques without disrupting others. He would also practise flying amongst dense asteroid fields to improve his accuracy among an assortment of objects at high speed, and to observe hazards all around him and how to avoid them. Being able to survive in space was a huge advantage for his training - he even discovered planets with much higher gravity than Cal'or. The high gravity helped push him to greater limits with the added weight to his body, allowing him reach further potential through vigorous training, on land and through the skies he flew.

Despite being able to survive in space with his own aura, he would still need to replenish himself with oxygen from time to time, otherwise he became exhausted.

In his ever growing mind, he mapped out the various planets in which he had visited around the galaxy, such as those which contained a breathable atmosphere, or were ideal for intense training. Ca'lor was imprinted into his mind, so he never had the fear of becoming lost in the vastness of deep space.

Nevertheless Cal'or remained his true home and comfort, returning there whenever he needed to rest and replenish. He was getting used to being on his own, becoming numb to the feeling of loneliness. He appeared to no longer care for such emotions, especially with his mind heavily fixated on becoming a greater warrior. Emotions meant nothing of value to him anymore.

He was well aware of his growing power, knowing the progress he had made on his own in those few years of solitude. Perhaps he was right about not needing anybody else to attain greater strength. Whenever he thought back to when he was abandoned by those he had trusted, it made him feel bitter at the world around him.

" _Hmph. I didn't need them._

 _Companions will only bring me down and hinder my progress._

 _I will find that evil and take it down my own way._

 _I will_ _ **never**_ _lose to anybody."_

By now a life of solitude was what he had firmly stuck to. Those he had trusted had long since perished and it wasn't like he could hold onto the hope of them ever coming back, it was that nothing in this universe had the power to make things the way they were. So, he was against the idea of forming connections with another person again. It was an effective method to avoid the risk of going through the same kind of anguish all over once more. It just wasn't worth the trouble. Strength was all that mattered in the end.

Outsiders rarely visited his home planet. Rumours all around the galaxy claimed Cal'or to be haunted, so very few people would attempt to visit. But there were odd occasions where Jiren would have to deal with unwelcome guests…

* * *

 _Age 754  
Planet Cal'or_

A foreign looking spaceship hovered above the atmosphere of planet Cal'or. Alien beings from the inside stood around a large monitor, viewing their findings. It displayed a wide array of valuables, ranging from gemstones to fuel sources. The information showed that the planet was full of resources, clearly having never been exploited before.

A strange, red skinned looking fellow with a moustache stood by, wearing a black pinstriped suit of sorts while his crew wore more casual looking attire. Their ship broke through the atmosphere to enter the skies of Cal'or.

The boss along with two men exited their spaceship out of a hangar down below. They flew out into the sky and looked down upon the surface, seeing a vast range of forests and mountains all across the horizon.

"Hmm, we will need to need to clear the area if we're gonna excavate the hell out of this place. Gearson, prep the nukes for drop-off!"

Just as the boss had made his orders, the figure of a teenage grey appeared right out of the blue in front of the three men. Jiren had decided to make his existence known to the unwelcome visitors.

The two men accompanying their boss were stunned, eyes wide and mouths open. The boss turned his head around to eye up the grey, while his two minions gawked on with a look of surprise.

"Oh damn! Where did this punk come from?" One of the men exclaimed.

"Ha, he must be one of the natives!"

Jiren's eyes locked onto the trio of aliens, appearing emotionless. There was one thing in his mind that he needed to say.

"Leave."

The blunt order fell onto the ears of the three men, and the leader of them simply scoffed.

"Ha. At least this primitive life form can speak. Nevertheless my boy, we're going to need to clear the area out for harvesting. Sorry, but that's just how the galaxy rolls. It's all about survival of the fittest - and the richest!"

The boss grinned deviously all the while Jiren stared back, unfazed by what was being said to his face. His eyes remained locked onto the alien visitors.

While Jiren looked on, the leader of the gang turned to face the spaceship above them,

" _Drop the nukes, boys!"_

A shaft opened from beneath the dropship and a large nuclear warhead immediately succumbed to the pull of gravity. But before it could even make it several metres into its descent, Jiren raised his hand and fired a sphere of orange ki towards it, latching it onto the warhead immediately. With a simple gesture, Jiren directed the growing fireball up high, deep into space before detonating it. The nuke exploded spectacularly, briefly lighting up the area around them.

Jiren turned his attention back towards the goons, having one simple request left for them to follow.

"I said _leave._ "

The two minions occupying the boss were left speechless, mouths agape at what they had seen. All the while, their boss looked irritated, beginning to draw out a futuristic pair of pistols from his trench coat

"You little bastard! I'll make you eat lead for coming between us and our riches!"

"Boss? This kid creeps me out…"

"Yeah uhh… perhaps we should ditch this joint. Maybe there is a reason nobody else has claimed this planet-"

" **Shut your traps!"**

Their boss fired his pistols at Jiren, who made no effort to dodge the incoming gunfire. As the bullets made contact with him they did nothing but get deflected right off of his body. Jiren remained floating in the air, unmoved.

The boss' eyes now widened, to match with his pair of loyal followers. He put a halt to his gunfire, lowering both his pistols down...

Jiren appeared in a flash in front of the foe, grabbing him by his suit and pressing his face right up against his. The man became intimidated by Jiren's intense eyes, sending shivers down his spine and dropping his guns in reflex. The other men immediately fled back inside their ship, and Jiren simply tossed their boss back towards the opening of their transportation. He crashed into his fleeing minions and stumbled over inside the ship like ragdolls as the hangar began to close up.

The spaceship was quick to scurry away like the cowards they were in Jiren's mind.

 _"Hmph, survival of the fittest. How pathetic."_

* * *

 _Age 758  
Outer space_

Jiren's thirst for strength intensified more as he grew with age. He was far from satisfied. The galaxy he resided in wasn't enough to further enhance his strength and skills. He craved for more challenges, obstacles and dangers to throw himself into. His speed and endurance in space had grown remarkably over the years. With such immense ki, his aura was now able to behave much like a small atmosphere. Thus, he was able to go without replenishing oxygen for a longer period of time. This remarkable adaptation helped him greatly with his deep space training. It also aided in his plans to travel towards another galaxy.

Jiren realized that the less matter that lay between him and his point of interest - the quicker he could travel across the vastness of deep space. Large empty voids lay inbetween the many galaxies abroad. Thus, the long distance trips were not as daunting as they appeared to be.  
And so, he made the first jump towards the nearest galaxy, the first step in expanding his horizon across the universe.

He explored right across the cosmos to expand his field of training, to put his already unbelievable speed and endurance against the ruthlessness of deep space. He uncovered more planets with ridiculous amounts of gravity and weather conditions. Even more so, he discovered cosmic curiosities such as the vast assortment of stars in varying stages of life. Including those of which had already collapsed into a black hole, or a neutron star. Or those that were on the verge of releasing a supernova.

These sorts of natural phenomena fascinated Jiren, yet he tended to avoid black holes, as he wasn't sure what kind of impact they would have around him. Not to mention, they appeared to distort space-time, and seemed to disappear not long after being found for unknown reasons.

Yet neutron stars were something he was most curious of; the intense gravity and heat of such small celestial objects was so intense, that it was simply dangerous to approach them. The gravity on the surface of one of these strange stars was billions of times the gravity of the average planet, a mind-boggling realization to anybody who could comprehend it.

So even with Jiren's power, he still had to take caution around these miniature stars. The size of these neutron stars was only a few kilometres in diameter, so they weren't something he would come across all that often and were quite easy to miss.

But Jiren, being the risk taker that he was couldn't resist a good challenge.

He would grin at the aspect of approaching these dense stars and fly within a 'safe' zone of them to test the strength of his flight, as well as the overall power of his body. Flying near these neutron stars several times over provided him with a great amount of exercise. The gravity and heat they gave off pushed him to greater heights, forcing him to set off a powerful aura to protect himself from the elements each time he flew by.

The workout he got from this training was immense. He wasn't able to compare the danger of these naturally occurring training grounds to anywhere else in the universe.

Either way, this sort of training could only go on for so long at a time, and he would need to take a break on a breathable planet. Curiously, he could not find these neutron stars again after leaving them behind. He wasn't sure if it was because of their small size, or because they eventually disappeared much like the black holes.

And so he was forced to further expand his horizons, and always be on the lookout for new challenges and dangers to put himself up against. He would also train within the large voids in space where little to no galaxies occupied the area. This was where he could put his energy blasts to the test, without the risk of doing something like accidentally destroying nearby planets or imploding a star.

Here, he was free to experiment with the use of his ki. He didn't name his techniques, but he took a liking in using ki blasts that took on the look of solar masses. Like a sun, scorching and intense with glaring light. He was fascinated by the naturally occurring power of these astronomical objects around the universe, so it was no surprise his attacks resembled them.

He was becoming a master of ki control the more he experimented with it being able to control the temperature, mass and power with extreme precision. He could even create his own stars if he wanted to, but chose not to due to the unstable nature of such large amounts of ki.

Jiren's speed became greater the more he trained, so fast that the world around him appeared to be coming to a standstill. He would dive into this state whenever he trained ferociously in the cosmos, being an efficient way to get the maximum amount of training out of the shortest period of time. Many hours of traditional training done in mere minutes, the more he remained in this mind state.

This was especially handy due to the limited amount of time he could spend without oxygen in space, yet moving at such speeds did come as a cost of stamina, and the risk of accidentally destroying cosmic objects around him. Sometimes his thoughts couldn't even keep up with his own pace.

Yet, he still craved for more of a challenge. He needed something to give him a dash for his life, something thrilling and intense.

And he may have gotten that opportunity after stumbling across a supermassive star at the brink of its life cycle. The solar mass was gigantic and very unstable. Many times larger than most stars he had come across. He was curious of what was to come, and so he used a nearby planet in the solar system as a temporary training ground.

The solar flares from the dying sun were flickering and tearing away at the doomed rocky planet, and Jiren used these grounds to further enhance his will to survive. The surface was unforgiving; there was no oxygen or relief from the searing heat. Jiren's powerful eyes protected his vision from the blinding light, as they always had. So training so close to this red supergiant was not an issue for him.

Jiren had no fear. His energy shielded his entire body from heat as he dodged and sidestepped all around the dying planet, watching it crumble away in a molten landscape lit up by the bright orange skies. Asteroids and other space debris landed all around him as he avoided each one with impeccable timing. It was quite a thrilling experience for the fearless warrior. Although at the same time, he had been without air for quite some time now and was becoming increasingly worn down by the minute.

Suddenly, the massive star bloated, expanding out so rapidly that Jiren was forced to ditch the planet as the sun began to swallow it whole.

The planet crumbled.

A beat passed before shockwaves akin to intense solar winds were sent flying past Jiren along with the remnants of the planet. Jiren shielded himself from the waves, before he spotted a much larger and far more intense mass of heat heading in his direction. And for a split second he wasn't sure which way to dodge - hell, he wasn't even sure if he _could_ survive the blast at close range on such a short notice.

" _No force of nature can bring ME down!"_

Jiren glared stubbornly at the incoming danger, focusing the heat within his soul his aura growing ever so brightly right as the wave of the massive supernova explosion impacted him. He braced himself and his focused power erupted into a fearsome flash of light to aid in shielding himself from the impending danger.

The wave of the explosion passed through and his aura had completely shielded the entirety of it all. He opened his eyes and lowered his arms to witness what had happened, and found that he was completely unscathed. His energy was no longer a single shade of red - yellows and orange lit up all around him. He appeared like he had been set alight by flames, painted the brilliant colours of molten lava.

Then something flashed at the back of his mind amongst the chaos.

His eyes widened and mouth agape, he hastily turned around to look into the direction of where the supernova's blast was headed. He witnessed several lifeless planets smashed and torn asunder by the raging wave of energy. The sight of it all reminded him that there was a heavily populated planet in a nearby star system, directly in the path of the wave.

Jiren frantically shot through the depths of space, racing against the speed of the supernova. He could sense the life forces of billions up ahead, all inhabiting a medium sized planet in the star system close by.

Jiren appeared right before the planet and it was clear that the inhabitants had no idea and wouldn't have any idea as to what was going to happen to them. He realised there was no time for any of them to escape.

Normally, Jiren wouldn't care less for what went on outside of his own little world, especially when it came to natural disasters. It was none of his concern with them being a force of nature anyway. And besides, why should he care about a planet full of strangers? They meant nothing to him.

Yet being out there and witnessing sheer destruction in its wake, he couldn't ignore the fact that countless lives were about to be doomed in the blink of an eye. And the idea of just standing by and allowing mass death to take place in front of him was something Jiren disliked immensely.

The supernova fast approached in the microseconds that followed, and Jiren let out a fearsome scream of fury in its wake, coming face to face with the ever approaching threat once more.

The energy around him expanded, becoming so massive that he was able to neutralize the supernova's power in all its might. The remnants of the blast had begun to dissipate, and the entire sector of space fell still upon Jiren's presence.

His tremendous power had ended it.

He opened his eyes to bear witness the sight ahead of him. He looked down at both of his hands, feeling the newly unlocked power flowing through his veins. His molten aura was far larger and more intense than it had ever been in his life. He would have never imagined it to reach such levels.

He absorbed much of the expanded energy back into his body and turned around to face the planet. The dark side of the planet's continents were dotted with lights of many cities, the homes of many inhabitants. He looked by for a moment with widened eyes, coming to terms with what he had just accomplished.

He had saved the entire planet. Billions of lives were spared to live another day.

The population wouldn't have a clue as to who or what had rescued them from the incoming danger, but to Jiren, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he had achieved the impossible at this point in time. And it was all thanks to his growing power. The strength he had acquired on his own.

He felt a spark in his despondent heart; a spark of light leading to a sense of pride. It was a warm and positive feeling. Perhaps now he could do something for the greater good in the dark of this universe, to help those who were much too weak to save themselves.

After all these years of feeling empty and bitter at the universe, he shifted his thoughts to realize just how much he had achieved all on his own. It was a massive boost in self-confidence. Sure, he knew there was much room for improvement, but right now he felt that he was ready to take on the many threats of the universe. To make his mark and to show the universe what kind of power he is capable of.

* * *

Eyes shot open with astonishment in a distant sector of space, suspended elsewhere near the centre of the eleventh universe. Heavy breathing followed as the strange being's eyes remained wide with amazement, pupils shrunk and alert.

He positioned himself to sit upright, before one of the female companions occupying his bed stirred in her sleep.

"Vermoud, honey, what gives? I was having such a good snooze."

The man named Vermoud did not respond, he remained startled by what he had felt elsewhere in the universe.

He was an odd looking being, having white skin with large red lips and curly ginger hair styled in the way of a clown from the universes where planet Earth existed. He was quite slim with his ribs visible, but fairly athletic and toned elsewhere.

He was accompanied by a harem of scantily-clad female jesters, most of which were still slumbering, laying all over the oversized bed. Another female being stood near the doorway, watching by in content. She was a tall angelic being with blue skin and long white hair tied into a pair of pigtails, with a couple small bangs down her forehead. She wore a traditional looking gown, with purple sleeves, a black cuirass with white and orange symbols. A halo lay suspended around her neck, and she stood there with a sceptre at hand, while overlooking the room.

"Marcarita dear, do come in." Vermoud gestured.

The exotic-looking woman made her way into the room as the clown-like man got out of his bedding to put on a silk robe from his hanger.

"What seems to be troubling you, my lord? Bad dreams giving you a bit of a hassle again, yes?"

"No, not dreams. This time, I know what's troubling me…"

"Oh, is that so?" Marcarita asked, looking cheery in response.

"There's a being in our universe of great strength and potential. He's growing stronger by the day. The longer he exists, the more I can feel his overwhelming presence…"

"I see. Perhaps you would like pay him a visit sometime in the near future then, yes?"

"Yes, indeed I shall. I believe he may have already surpassed my candidate..."


End file.
